Process of preparing whey concentrate



Patented Aug. 22,

PROCESS OF PREPARING WHEY CONCENTRATE Elmer E. Eldredge, Wilmette, 111., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corporation, a Corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application February 13, 1929 Serial No. 339,745

3 Claims. (Cl. 99-11) The invention relates to improvements inwhey tage of just those properties or characteristics concentrates and process of preparing the same. from which the gumming tendency results. In the manufacture of cheese the whey which is In general, my improved process provids for produced as a by-product contains usually about the production of the whey solids in the usual 5 6% of solids most of which is milk sugar. The maway so as to obtain a material containing not 60 terial also contains smaller percentages of albumore than about 2% of moisture. No special men and mineral salts. In its liquid form it may be form of apparatus is required. Good results are used for feeding direct to stock, but as it is a obtained through the use of'equipment in which dilute and bulky product and hence low in food the whey is sprayed into a heated gaseous me- 10 value, the expense and trouble of retransporting it dium and is delivered in the form of a finely di- 65 back to the farm from the cheese factory is relavided powder. This powdered material is then, tively heavy. For this reason, the farmers in preferably by direct admixture of water, caused some instances may be induced to take and use to absorb or take up an additional 8% of moisture it, but they will pay little, if anything, for the rapidly. The mass is then allowed to cake and 5 privilege, so that it is generally classed as a after a sufficient length of time, the cake is 7 waste product of no value. ground up in any suitable grinding equipment.

Attempts have been made to evaporate the As a specific example for the use of my imwhey and use the solids or concentrates so obproved process, I take 150 pounds of fresh whey tained in various ways, for example, in the manusolids containing 2% of water. This material is facture of food products for human consumption introduced into a mixing device, for example, a 75' and also for stock or chicken feeds. It has been Day mixer, together with about 12 pounds of found, however, that when using such evaporatwater, the mixing being effected very rapidly so ing process and equipment as are available for the as to prevent development of gumminess in time purpose, it is necessary to remove substantially to interfere with the operation of the mixer or all of the water content including the water of removal of the material therefrom. so

crystallization of the sugar content. The ordi- As soon as the mixing has been completed, nary evaporating process is designed to turn out this operation requiring only a minute or so, the concentrate in a substantially bone-dry conthe mixed material is dumped out of the mixer dition and in which the water content is not more into a series of shallow pans, preferably not more than about 2%. This material has been found to than about six inches deep, so that the heat devel- 85 be quite hygroscopic in character principally beoped by the absorption of water may be dissipated cause the necessarily-high evaporating temperawith sufficient rapidity to prevent overheating ture has driven off the water of crystallization of with consequent damage to the product. the sugar which consequently is thirsty for the The material is preferably allowed to stand in water which it requires to return to its normal the pans about two or three hours or sufficiently 90 crystalline condition. long to form a cake after which the pans may Ordinary whey concentrates or whey solids be emptied. The materal is then allowed to when freshly produced, if left exposed to the stand in a pile and after it has cooled sufficiently, atmosphere for any length of time will rapidly absay in twenty-four hours, it is ground up in any 40 sorb moisture, and the material, although originconvenient apparatus, for example,-a centrifugal 95 ally in the form of a powder, is soon converted mill, so as to pass through a screen of about into a cake. Furthermore, and which is more imtwenty mesh. 4 portant, during the transition stage between the My improved product thus obtained, having anhydrous condition and the crystalline contaken up water to its entire capacity, will not dition, the material becomes very gummy or sticky thereafter develop any gummy or sticky tendency, 100 so that it interferes seriously with the proper nor will it cake or otherwise develop any of the functioning of the equipment by which it is to be undesirable properties which have been encounmixed with, other materials entering into the final teredin connection with the previous use of this product, fq'r example, cheese, bakery goods, or type of material. stock feeds. For this reason whey concentrates The above described details are illustrative of 105 have had very limited use or distribution up to the merely one application of the invention,- the scope present time. of which should be determined by reference to 'I have discovered that the gumming tendency the appended claims, said claims being construed of this material may be effectively and permaas broadly as possible, consistent with the state nently eliminated and in doing so I take advanof the art.

. Iclaimasmyinvention 1. The improved process or preparing whey concentrate which consists in evaporating whey and converting same to a comminuted solidin which the sugar is in an anhydrous condition, then adding sumcient water to recrystallize the sugar and thereby convert the material into cake form, and then comminuting the cake.

2. The improved process of preparing whey concentrates which consists in evaporating whey and converting same to a comminuted solid containing about 2% 01' water and in which substantially all of the sugar content is in an anhydrous condition, then mixing with the material about 8% of water so as to recrystallize the sugar,

permitting the material to cake and subsequently comminuting the cake.

3. The improved process of preparing whey concentrate which consists in evaporating the whey and converting the same into a comminuted solid containing the sugar in a substantially anhydrous condition, then rapidly mixing with the material suflicient water to recrystallize the sugar, then permitting the material to stand a suflicient length oif time to recrystallize the sugar and thereby form a cake, while at the same time preventing overheating of the material and then converting the cake into the form of a powder.

ELMER E. ELDREDGE. 

